In 2012 it signed a £500 million, five-year contract to run community health services in Surrey, including seven community hospitals and inherited 2,500 staff.

Last year it won a £64 million five-year contract to run community child health services in Wiltshire which are currently provided by five separate NHS providers. That contract will also start in April.

Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust is one of the biggest providers of NHS community healthcare in the country with sites in Kent, London and East Sussex.

It was created on April 1, 2011 with the merger of Eastern and Coastal Kent Community Services NHS Trust and West Kent Community Health. It employs 5,500 staff.

It won Foundation status on March 1 last year and was rated ‘good’ by the Care Quality Commission in September 2014.

Sir Richard Branson

The community hospitals, community nursing, intermediate care, community neuro rehabilitation, speech and language therapy, podiatry and continence services will all transfer to Virgin Care.

Some services are also provided by Medway Community Healthcare Physiotherapy, learning disability services, epilepsy, lymphoedema, children’s community services and maternity are not affected.

Minor injury units and out-of-hours GP services will continue to be provided by the existing providers.